1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game apparatus which can generate vibration in a manner to cause a game player to feel the vibration, a control method for the game apparatus, and a recording medium recording therein a game program for use in the game apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Game apparatus operating devices which can generate vibration have been proposed and realized. JP-A-10-295937 discloses one of those game apparatus operating devices, wherein the operating device has a grip portion to be held by a game player, and a vibrating motor is provided in the grip portion. Thus, when the vibrating motor is driven to generate vibration, the game player can feel the vibration via the grip portion.
The vibrating motor is driven by a drive command signal sent from a game apparatus body to which the operating device is connected. The drive command signal is outputted at proper timing based on a control program executed in the game apparatus body.
In the conventional techniques, for example, a drive command signal is outputted in a fishing game when a virtual fish is caught in a game space, or a drive command signal is outputted every time a player character controlled by a game player is virtually attacked by an enemy character in a game space.
However, in the foregoing conventional techniques, the drive command signal is outputted instantly responsive to the event or the motion of the player character. Specifically, no attention has been paid to a technique wherein a drive command signal is outputted in consideration of a state of a player character, for example, damage of the player character caused by attacks from an enemy character.
In the conventional techniques, information about the state of the player character is constantly displayed at a particular place in a game image not obstructing a watching point of the game player upon operating the player character, or displayed when the game player selects a particular mode. Accordingly, for learning the state of the player character, it necessary for the game player to move the watching point or select the particular mode, which may impede the operation of the player character by the game player.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a game apparatus which can allow a game player to know a state of a player character without hindrance to command inputs by the game player for operating the player character.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a control method for a game apparatus, which can allow a game player to know a state of a player character without hindrance to command inputs by the game player for operating the player character.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium recording therein a game program which can realize the foregoing game apparatus or control method, when executed.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game apparatus comprising operation input means for outputting an operation command signal in response to a command input from a game player; and game control means for controlling a motion of a player character according to at least one of the operation command signal and a predetermined procedure in a game space and further controlling a motion of an enemy character which attacks the player character in the game space; vibration output means for generating vibration when driven; damage deriving means for deriving damage of the player character caused by an attack from the enemy character; and driving means for determining a vibration interval based on the derived damage and driving the vibration output means according to the determined vibration interval so that the vibration output means generates the vibration at the determined vibration interval.
The operation input means is for inputting a game progressing command from a game player and for outputting an operation command signal in response to the inputted command. Preferably, the operation input means has an operating portion operable by the game player. For example, when the game apparatus of the present invention is applied to a game apparatus for business use, the operation input means may be a joystick with a tiltable lever, a control lever, push buttons, or a combination thereof. On the other hand, when the game apparatus of the present invention is applied to a game apparatus for home use, the operation input means may be an operating device, i.e. a so called manual controller, in the form of direction command keys and push buttons. The manual controller is normally detachable from a body of the home-use game apparatus or connectable to a body of the home-use game apparatus via a cable, and can be held by the game player. Further, when the game apparatus of the present invention is applied to a personal computer, the operation input means may be general-purpose input means used in a computer, such as a keyboard or a pointing device including a mouse or a track ball.
The game control means receives the operation command signal from the operation input means and controls the motion of a player character in the game space based on the received operation command signal. The game control means may execute a motion control of the player character according to the operation command signal and/or a predetermined procedure. Specifically, the game control means may execute all the motion control of the player character according to only the operation command signal or the predetermined procedure or according to both the operation command signal and the predetermined procedure. This may be fixed in the whole game or changed depending on a scene of the game.
The game realized by the game control means is applicable to a desired game, such as an action game, an adventure game, a role-playing game or a simulation game.
The vibration output means generates vibration when it is driven, and has no limitation about a structure for generating vibration. The vibration output means may be a vibrating motor with an eccentrically supported member, such as an eccentrically supported rotor, a reciprocatable weight member and an actuator for reciprocating the weight member, or an iron-core solenoid. When the vibration output means vibrates the operation input means, a proper structure of the vibration output means may be selected depending on a shape and structure of the operation input means. For example, when the operation input means is a so-called manual controller, the vibrating motor which is small but provides sufficient vibration may be selected in consideration of the maneuverability of the manual controller.
The damage deriving means derives virtual damage of the player character caused by an attack from the enemy character. A calculation manner of damage depends on a game realized by the game control means. The calculation manner may be that damage is gradually increased from a preset value upon receiving attacks from the enemy character. Damage is not necessarily changed upon every attack from the enemy character, but may be changed at random or at constant probability, or may be changed according to a positional relationship between the player character and the enemy character in the game space. Further, a changing magnitude of damage is not necessarily constant, but may be determined depending on a kind of attack from the enemy character or the foregoing positional relationship.
It may be arranged that damage derived by the damage deriving means is not only increased simply, but also restored to the foregoing preset value with a time virtually elapsing in the game space. However, if damage is restored to the preset value quickly after receiving the damage, there is not much significance in calculating the damage. Accordingly, for example, it is preferable to imitate bodily or mental damage of a human being when actually attacked by another living thing or the like.
Damage derived by the damage deriving means may also be used as a factor for determining a motion of the player character when the game control means executes a motion control of the player character. For example, when a change of damage is large, the motion of the player character may be controlled to be slow, and further, when damage exceeds a preset value, the game may be compulsorily finished.
The driving means determines the vibration interval based on the damage derived by the damage deriving means, and drives the vibration output means according to the determined vibration interval. A relationship between the damage and the vibration interval is arbitrary. It may be arranged that the vibration interval is shortened according to a change of the damage.
Since the vibration interval for the vibration output means is determined depending on the damage, the game player can learn the damage of the player character by means of the interval of vibration produced by the vibration output means. Thus, there is no hindrance to the command inputs by the game player.
It may be arranged that the damage deriving means increases the damage every time the enemy character attacks the player character, and the driving means shortens the vibration interval as the damage increases.
The fact that the vibration interval is shortened as the damage increases means that the vibration output means vibrates more frequently as the damage becomes greater. This gives a feeling of tension to the game player. Therefore, the game player can intuitively seize the damage of the player character so that there is caused no hindrance to the command inputs by the game player for operating the player character.
It may be arranged that the driving means drives the vibration output means when the damage exceeds a predetermined value. In this case, when the damage is not so large, i.e. when the damage is not greater than the predetermined value, the vibration output means does not produce vibration. Thus, the game player can more intuitively seize the damage of the player character so that there is caused no hindrance to the command inputs by the game player for operating the player character.
It may be arranged that the vibration output means vibrates the operation input means, and further, when the operation input means has a grip portion to be held by the game player upon performing the command input, the vibration output means vibrates the grip portion. When performing the command input, the game player mostly holds the grip portion. Accordingly, the game player performs the command input while feeling the vibration so that the degree of the bodily sensation can be enhanced.
It may be arranged that the damage display means is further provided for visually displaying the damage derived by the damage deriving means to the game player. In this case, the game player can learn the degree of damage based on the vibration and visually.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a game apparatus comprising operation input means for outputting an operation command signal in response to a command input from a game player; game control means for controlling a motion of a player character according to at least one of the operation command signal and a predetermined procedure in a game space and further controlling a motion of an enemy character which attacks the player character in the game space; and vibration output means for generating vibration when driven; the control method comprising the steps of: deriving damage of the player character caused by an attack from the enemy character; determining a vibration interval based on the derived damage; and driving the vibration output means according to the determined vibration interval so that the vibration output means generates the vibration at the determined vibration interval.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium recording therein a game program for use in a game apparatus comprising operation input means for outputting an operation command signal in response to a command input from a game player; game control means for controlling a motion of a player character according to at least one of the operation command signal and a predetermined procedure in a game space and further controlling a motion of an enemy character which attacks the player character in the game space; and vibration output means for generating vibration when driven; the game program, when read by the game apparatus, causing the game apparatus to execute the steps of deriving damage of the player character caused by an attack from the enemy character; determining a vibration interval based on the derived damage; and driving the vibration output means according to the determined vibration interval so that the vibration output means generates the vibration at the determined vibration interval.